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Academic snobbery at its finest

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ChemistBoy

And doing these is somehow much less academic then learning to paint, sculpt or play a musical instrument?

Ooooooo hadn't thought of it like that before.

Anyone care to justify Fine Art? (I know nothing about the degree course so it is a genuine question)

Reply 41

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

ChemistBoy

And doing these is somehow much less academic then learning to paint, sculpt or play a musical instrument?

As far as I am concerned they are equally as non academic. Personally I would admire a WOW player more as an admissions tutor.

Reply 42

username68316

lucho22

I feel that this article although somewhat exaggerated does highlight a problem with the current university system. Young people have been led to believe that the only way to succeed in life is to go to university. They are constantly bombarded with statistics telling them that they'll be better off, more employable, successful - but the fact of the matter is that the people going off to study these pseudo-degrees wont in fact contribute to this trend. It will not lead to them obtaining work that is subtantially better paid than those that do not have degrees in these professions. It's not academic snobbery - it's simply that it's just not economically sensible for them or for the nation. Far better would be to get these people into professional training schemes and apprenticeships which don't try pretending to be degree programs - some people just aren't suited to university. Apprenticeships would get these people out into the labour market more quickly and effectively, equipping them with the necessary skills to practice their trade, whilst eliminating the running up of crippling debts that a university education entails. It's simply an obsession these days to get anyone and everyone into university that is absolutely ridiculous...

Reply 43

mermania

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

As far as I am concerned they are equally as non academic. Personally I would admire a WOW player more as an admissions tutor.

you are aware that musical theory is highly complex, yes?

Reply 44

XIII

mermania

you are aware that musical theory is highly complex, yes?

He's probably not...

I got straight A*s at GCSE but music theory (which i'm constantly being made to learn) confuses the hell out of me.... i would say it's far from being non-academically rigorous

Reply 45

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

mermania

you are aware that musical theory is highly complex, yes?

As are some of these computer games. The difference is that snobbery means that one is respected, the other is not.

Reply 46

mermania

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

As are some of these computer games. The difference is that snobbery means that one is respected, the other is not.

Right mate, sure thing.
Computer games are NOT as complex as music theory.
believe me, I have experience with both!

Reply 47

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

mermania

Right mate, sure thing.
Computer games are NOT as complex as music theory.
believe me, I have experience with both!

It depends what you play I suppose. XIII, having lots of GCSEs does not mean you are intelligent, just that you can work hard.

Reply 48

meaty! glutes

do you really think... playing WoW is... comparable to understanding music theory?
i mean... really?

Reply 49

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

meaty glutes!

do you really think... playing WoW is... comparable to understanding music theory?
i mean... really?

It depends how good a player, and how/ if you mod or hack the game.

Reply 50

meaty! glutes

no it absolutely has nothing to do with how good a player you are

you clearly have no idea what you're talking about

good day sir!

Reply 51

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

meaty glutes!

no it absolutely has nothing to do with how good a player you are

you clearly have no idea what you're talking about

good day sir!

I think I do. Hacking a computer game like that would make you a genious. Understanding music theory, i doubt would be as complex as some of the stuff in a further maths A-level.

i said good day!

Video game degrees are still thought of as 'Mickey Mouse', yet one cannot argue the academic discipline and intelligence needed for one, nor the job prospects at the end.

If that list came out about ten years ago it would have been top of the list. People only look at the name and make their decision. Does anybody even know what 99% of the courses on that list involve?

Reply 54

mermania

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

Understanding music theory, i doubt would be as complex as some of the stuff in a further maths A-level.

you "doubt"
so you're dismissing music theory even though you have...no idea what it is.

well done.
it is more complicated than further maths, trust me. trust!

Reply 55

shady lane

ChemistBoy

And doing these is somehow much less academic then learning to paint, sculpt or play a musical instrument?

Those subjects are studied academically. There are PhD theses on fine art. Unless someone can prove to me that baking technology is a rigorous enough academic discipline that a university department can stand on its own, that it can support an academic journal or two, AND that its needs can't be met within another discipline like chemistry or engineering, then perhaps I will consider it on the same level as fine art.

Reply 56

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

mermania

you "doubt"
so you're dismissing music theory even though you have...no idea what it is.

well done.
it is more complicated than further maths, trust me. trust!

I have a good idea what it is, but it depends what level you take it to. As you can take it to degree level, then yes it would be more complex than FM. But the people who have put it on their uni application havent, although there will be the odd exceptional circumstance.

Reply 57

princess_bratty

I think everyone is forgetting what purpose university has. It was built for specific jobs that need intense training eg.medicine or law. In other words, to make you employable for that job.

Nowadays most students when asked, 'why are you going to university?' would reply, 'to get a degree.' Unless it is the, how to put this.. the hardest courses to get into eg.vetinary, medicine, architecture, law. And they would answer, 'Because I want to be a vet, a doctor, an architect or a lawyer.' They are the ones studying for a further purpose than a degree, a career.

University is just further education in a specific subject and I can't even imagine, why ANYONE would apply for some of those courses. Most adults could have jobs in those because bluntly, they aren't rocket science! My friend has a degree in Media Studies but how has he used his degree? He has a job in a Wine Shop.

It's not snobbery, it's just plain sense that your wasting money and time in a degree in adventure tourism!!

PS. It's ridiculous that hacking a game is genius. If you can all do it, you're all equal and therefore it's just mediocre. The people that invented the game could obviously hack the game because they made it and if they invented a degree in 'Hacking Computer Games' I don't see where you could get a job with that.

Not that I understand the employability of a degree in Music Theory though.

PSS. I think the best thing is to join debate society when you all get to university because you all seem well suited.

Reply 58

lucho22

princess_bratty

Nowadays most students when asked, 'why are you going to university?' would reply, 'to get a degree.' Unless it is the, how to put this.. the hardest courses to get into eg.vetinary, medicine, architecture, law. And they would answer, 'Because I want to be a vet, a doctor, an architect or a lawyer.' They are the ones studying for a further purpose than a degree, a career.

Well I'm definitely not on board with this! So basically what you're saying is that any degree that isn't specifically career based is a waste of time? When people ask me why I want to do Modern Languages my response is that I want to further my understanding in the subject I'm most interested in. This may or may not lead to a job in that specific area but it is not the reason behind me doing the degree - nor am I doing it "just to get a degree"! I feel that this is just as much a further purpose as doing it because you want to pursue a certain prestigious career (a lot of the time simply because you get filthy rich doing it).

Oh and the purpose of university is primarily a place for academic learning and research - It isn't simply a factory which churns out lawyers and medics - and if you were to tell an academic this I'm sure he wouldn't be all that happy at the way you view his profession.